Catch 23
by DocumenteKaze232111
Summary: From their first meeting, they were destined to meet again- and again and again. Twenty-three moments in which two powerful Pokémon Trainers came, and stayed, together. "Dark/Steelshipping".
1. Aquaintance

**ACQUAINTANCE**

_In which Steven Syone meets Cynthia for the very first time._

"Who is she?" Steven Stone, the current Hoenn Regional Champion, asked in bewilderment as his silver eyes caught the sight of a young woman, dressed head to toe in a black that matched the darkest of night-time skies and platinum-blond hair that swayed gently with her ever step she took.

"She, Steven, is Sinnoh's newest Regional Champion," Replied his best friend, Wallace, who never left his side during these social events- mostly because he knew perfectly well from past experience that Steven would disappear the first moment he wasn't looking after him, "Cynthia there is the first woman to ever become a Champion- and she's the youngest ever to hold the title, too- she's only twenty."

Twenty-four himself and only having gained his title little more than two years ago, Steven did a double-take. "Twenty? How did she ever manage that?"

"The word is that she's a genius," Wallace answered with a chuckle, noting his friend's avid interest and unwavering eyes, "Don't let her appearance fool you, Steven. I had the privilage of being present at her battle against the previous Sinnoh Champion- she is every bit as powerful as she looks innocent."

"I noticed," Steven breathed.

Indeed Steven had- her aura was as mystifying as could be to him. There was a dangerous air about her- one that spelled misfortune to any who dared challenge her- but then, as he watched her with his curious silver eyes, there was something else about her; something inherently gentle about her movements, and he had to admit it, the mystery surrounding her drew him in like no other before.

"Shall I introduce you?"

Steven was jolted out of his revere when his friend took him by the shoulder and began to guide him to where Cynthia stood, speaking quietly with several other people Steven did not recognize, and instantly, his stomach turned to mush. "Wait, Wallace, stop- "

But his protests came much too late, and there he was, standing just a foot away from her, and the words he was saying died in his mouth when she turned her head towards him, and her dark eyes met his silver ones.

"Ah, um..."

Instead of laughing at him- or snickering, like Wallace was, behind his back- Cynthia simply smiled a slight smile. "Hello."

"H-hi!"

Was it just him, or did his voice sound much higher than it usually was? If it was, she took no notice and stuck out her hand, inviting him to shake it. "Cynthia," She introduced herself with that same slight smile from before, and he nervously gripped it in his own. Her hand was surprisingly warm, gentle. "And you are?"

"Stone," He blurted instantly, and Wallace let out a bark of laughter from behind him. His answer caused Cynthia to raise her eyebrows, and he amended his answer much too eagerly, "Ah, er, Steven Stone! Uh, nice to meet you!"

"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Stone," She laughed a soft laugh that was so quiet that, if he had not been paying rapt attention to her, he would have missed it. "I hope you and your laughing friend enjoy your night." And then she turned away from him, and continued the conversation she had been having before his interruption.

Feeling awkward, he turned away, too, and found Wallace watching with the biggest grin on his expression.

"Wow," He chortled, laughing freely as he led Steven away.

Steven found that he could not summon the anger or humiliation he knew he should be feeling towards his best friend. Instead, his thoughts remained centered around a woman with dark eyes, platinum-blond hair, and clothes as dark as the darkest of nights.

"Wow," He agreed simply, "Wow."


	2. Number

**NUMBER **

_In which Cynthia's PokéNav decides to go haywire after being dropped and a silver-haired stranger fixes it up and leaves something behind._

Sinnoh Regional Champion Cynthia was someone one would expect to be calm under any misfortune, to stay composed in the face of adversity, and to always have an ace hidden in her sleeve if things suddenly went arwy. Unfortunately for her, this was one of those rare times where none of those traits of hers were doing her any good, and to be frank, the damn PokéNav was pissing her off, anyway.

"Of all the rotten..." Cynthia was muttering darkly under her breath, glaring her trademark, icy glare at the piece of plastic sitting all too innocently in her palm, "This is ridiculous."

And it was. The PokéNav had slipped from her pocket and had hit the pavement with relatively light force, but ever since then, the blasted device absolutely refused to behave and turn back on. Cynthia now stood alone, standing on the small beach area just outside Sunyshore, still fiddling with it, hoping it would simply heed her command before she flung it into the ocean out of pure irritation.

"Need some help?"

Cynthia spun around to find a somewhat familiar, silver-haired man standing a few feet away, a concerned look on his expression. At her raised, wary eyebrow, he smiled warmly and explained, his voice full of some humor that was lost on Cynthia, "I was here when you arrived, and I heard you muttering curses under your breath. Is that PokéNav giving you trouble?"

"I dropped it earlier, and now it won't respond," Cynthia sighed, shaking her head with a defeated air, "I suppose there's no choice but to pay a visit to Hoenn for repairs."

"Nonsense!" The silver-haired stranger laughed and held out his hand, and, somehow knowing that a refusal would only burst the stranger's bubble, Cynthia surrendured the upstart device without a second thought. "Why travel all the way to Hoenn when I can just fix it up for you right now?"

Cynthia watched as he began tinkering with the PokéNav with almost expert fingers. She doubted the stranger would be able to fix it, but she humored him for reasons she herself did not quite understand. When he paused to take a screwdriver out from his backpack and poked at her PokéNav with it, however, her common sense took over she spoke again. "Are you sure that you know what you're- ?"

"There we are!" He exclaimed excitedly, riding right over her question and offering the PokéNav, which was now booting back up as though it had not spent the past half-hour playing dead in Cynthia's aggrivated pocession, "Good as new. You'd almost think I knew what I was doing!"

Cynthia felt her face burning as she took her PokéNav back from him, managing to speak though her embarassment, "Thank you," She told him sincerely, watching as his grin widened. With a bit more confidence, she continued, "You saved me a trip to Hoenn. How can I repay- ?"

"Oh, no, no," The silver-haired stranger laughed and held his hands up in the air, smiling a smile that lit up his silver eyes, "Don't worry about that! You've already repaid me. I'll see you around!"

With that, he dashed off, disappearing from the beach (and her sight) with astonishing speed. Cynthia could not help but laugh quietly as she looked after him, wondering exactly what he meant by that. When her newly restored PokéNav finished booting up, a sudden burst of inspiration popped into her mind and she poked at the screen of her phone, pulling up her contacts.

And sure enough, a new and name (along with his own PokéNav number) had popped up on her sceen, and she gazed up in absolute bewilderment as the silver-haired stranger's identity became clear.

"Steven Stone."


	3. Relief

**RELIEF**

_In which Steven Stone finds a rather unconventional reason to stay awake during a boring Regional Champions meeting, centered around Sinnoh's Regional Champion._

It was no secret that Steven Stone disliked the Regional Champion meetings. He found them a boring waste of time- unfortunately, he also knew that it was his duty, as Hoenn's reigning Champion, to attend, and Steven had, if anything, been raised to be a responsible man. So, dragging his feet, muttering under his breath, and daydreaming about his next excavation, he entered the meeting room, where the other five Champions were waiting for his arrival.

First there was Red, the Kanto Region Champion. A very quiet man who only spoke when things were at their absolute worst, Steven had heard him speak exactly once. He had just become Hoenn's Champion when Team Rocket had risen up again and threatened the joining Kanto and Johto regions. Steven remembers his statement, spoken at a very firm whisper, as clearly as ever- "Team Rocket is not to be underestimated." His loyal Pikachu, his best friend, has never in Steven's memory left his right shoulder.

Next, seated alone at the furthest end of the table, sat Lance, the Johto Region Champion, who had made a name for himself as a powerful Dragon master and an all-around serious, no-nonsense kind of man. Although Steven respected his power and accomplishments, he wished with all his heart that the man would let loose a bit and learn to take a joke.

Then, there was Alder, seated next to Red. Alder was the faraway Unova Region Champion. The polar opposite of his Johto counterpart, he was a non-serious and prankster Fire Type specialist with enough power to evaporate water and melt solid earth. A peaceful man who avoided arguing, Steven often wondered why the older gentleman became a Pokémon Trainer in the first place.

And, last but certainly not least, there was Diantha, the newest addition to these meetings and the Champion of the newly established Kalos Region, and the second woman to ever hold the Champion title. Other than the fact that she was very beautiful, enjoys keeping up with the latest fashion trends, and is a powerful Trainer in her own right, Steven did not know much else about her.

Steven had to admit, with these five, at least his fellow Champions managed to keep these meetings a bit interesting... Wait. One, two, three, four- and five, counting himself... As he suspected, one of their number was missing.

"Where is Cynthia?" He found himself asking, curiously. Alder looked up from his one-sided conversation with a very amused-looking Red.

"Late, it seems," Alder replied with a smile, offering Steven a seat on his immediate right, "Sit, my boy, she'll get here eventually. Something probably came up with Professor Rowan again."

Alder's prediction came true just a few minutes later, when a harried-looking Cynthia entered the room, her PokéNav clutched in her hand. "Sorry," She apologized, smiling an apologetic smile at her fellow Regional Champions, "Professor Rowan received a Pokémon as a gift from Kalos's Professor Sycamore last week and it happened to evolve this morning..."

Steven laughed and Red's amused smile deepened, Diantha chuckled as she signaled for Cynthia to sit down. "I knew the Sylveon evolution would delight Professor Rowan to no end... Just wait until he gets a hold of a Trainer capable of Mega-Evolution, he'll be insufferable, Cynthia."

Cynthia mock-glared at the other woman, who, in the past year, had become something of a best friend to her, taking a seat next to her and replying, "The day he sees a Mega-Evolution for himself is the day Sinnoh is going to need another top researcher, because the excitement would surely give him the shock of his life."

"Alright, alright, enough chatter," Lance called from across the room, before standing up and joining them, "This is a proper meeting, not some insufferable gala. Cut the laughter, Stone," He added, when Steven failed to stop his low chuckles, "And let's get this thing started."

And just as he settled himself for yet another boring meeting, Steven found himself catching the eye of a certain platinum-blond Champion, who smiled brightly in return.

Perhaps these meetings weren't so bad- he did get to see her, after all.


	4. Forgiveness

**FORGIVENESS**

_In which Steven Stone is ambushed on the way to his first date with Cynthia._

Steven Stone and one of his longtime Pokémon, Skarmory, had landed just outside of Fortree, the Hoenn tree-house city in which he and Cynthia had promised to meet each other that evening for dinner, when a painful, icy blast of water had knocked him and his Skarmory off their feet and into the already rain-soaked grass.

When he recovered and managed to stand- his Skarmory, unfortunately, had taken most of the blast and had been rendered unconscious- he found himself surrounded by no less than ten men wearing what looked like blue pirate uniforms.

"What the hell was that for?" Steven managed to keep his voice calm, even though he was burning with fury, the fact that he was surrounded having no real impact on him, "There have got to be much better ways for you guys to get my attention than _that_!"

Unfortunately, the men were not interested in his admonishments. One, obviously the leader of this gang of cos-play rejects, stepped forward, followed closely by three Mightyena, two Crobat, and a single Crawdaunt, from which Steven was certain the previous, powerful Water-Type attack had originated. He wore a very smug expression on his face.

"Hoenn Champion Steven Stone," He drawled, conversationally, extending his arms outward in a condescending manner, "My name is Archie, and I am the leader of Team Aqua. Forgive me, but you are in the way of our plans to expand the sea for all creatures of the water... And for that, you must die."

Steven felt his hand go instantly to the Pokéballs attached to his belt. "Sorry," He replied, suddenly feeling very calm, "But I'm afraid that's one date I'm going to have to cancel. What's more, you've caught me at an inconvenient time and have made me late for a very important occasion- you'll have to answer for that."

"Hah!" Archie's bellow of a laugh echoed through the pouring rain, "I knew that you Champions had swelled heads, but do you honestly believe that you can beat all of us?" As the criminal named Archie and his followers laughed, Steven pulled his Pokéballs from his belt and threw them, three in total, to the grass below his feet.

"Stand tall, Aggron! Armaldo, do your best! With me, Metagross!" Steven commanded, before turning his sights to the brazen set of criminals, all of which but their leader now mortified by the sudden appearance of his Pokémon, "As the Hoenn Regional Champion, I won't allow you miscreants to get away!"

Archie swung his arm out, roaring his orders to his Pokémon as though he were commanding the heavens themselves; "Go, now! Kill him!"

The ensuing battle was one of the most difficult Steven had ever been put through, mostly because, for the very first time, he himself, not his Pokémon, was the target of most of the opposing attacks. His Pokémon fought bravely, side-by-side, and slowly, the battle was won, with only one casualty- his Armaldo, who had shielded Steven from a particularly vicious Crobat and had been rendered unconscious.

"Withdraw!" Archie cried, when his Crawdaunt finally fell to a blinding flash of powerful Thunder, drawn by his Metagross, "Retreat, Team Aqua!"

And with that, off they ran, scurrying in all different directions. Steven attempted to pursue Archie, but, considering the physical injuries he had sustained, he could not be too surprised when he quickly lost sight of the wannabe pirate leader.

With a heavy sigh, he returned his victorious Pokémon with kind words of thanks, and tiredly made his way into Fortree. When he reached the Pokémon Center- where he was supposed to meet Cynthia more than an hour ago, incidentally- and very casually asks the attending nurse to heal his Pokémon.

It was only a moment after he had surrendered his Pokémon when he felt something heavy and soft draw around his shoulders. He turned around to find Cynthia standing barely inches away from him, her dark eyes unfathomable.

"You're soaked," She told him simply. Steven glanced down to find that, of course, she was right; he was literally dripping from head to toe. The heavy and warm black blanket around him was, without a doubt, hers. Then, suddenly, she was holding his hands in her own, and examining them closely. "You're bleeding, too."

"I was attacked just outside of Fortree," He admitted, without meaning to. Her eyes were instantly on his, still unfathomable. She motioned for him to continue, and he did so, only just slightly awkward, "They called themselves Team Aqua. They surrounded me, and their leader, Archie, said something about expanding the sea, and that I was in their way. From their attack, it had to be a botched assassination attempt, I think."

Cynthia nodded once, confirming her understanding, and led him to a not-so-far away seat and helped him sit down. "Stay here, Steven. The other Champions need to be informed, and a thorough search of Fortree and the surrounding areas must be conducted immediately. I will send for a doctor, too," She added, as a serious afterthought, her eyes scanning him for further injury, "Your injuries might extend further than just a few deep cuts."

She made a movement to turn away, but Steven caught her arm just in time. She paused and looked toward him, her eyebrows raised in silent question.

"I'm sorry," He told her, and when she opened her mouth to question him, he shook his head sympathetically and continued, hesitantly and sadly, "For tonight, I mean. I'm sorry for ruining everything- I know both of us were looking forward to tonight for weeks."

Cynthia astonished him by laughing softly. "Steven," She told him, quietly, so that nobody else would hear her, "You have to be the silliest man I've ever known. There will be other nights. I'm not angry with you- I knew you had to have some good reason to have stood me up. I'm just sorry I didn't come looking for you. Had I known- "

"No, don't blame yourself," Steven interrupted her, sharply, surprising her with the vehemence in his voice, "The only ones to blame for what happened tonight is Team Aqua."

The Sinnoh Regional Champion nodded, replying in a tone that Steven never expected to hear from her naturally quiet voice, "I promise you, Steven, we will find them," She told him, "And they will face the consequences for attacking you."

Steven smiled his bright smile in thanks, and, all of a sudden, she pulled his cut hand toward her and kissed the back of his hand.

"I'm glad you're safe," She told him, before turning quickly away and disappearing from his sight once again. Steven laid back in his seat and unconsciously pulled her black blanket around himself. It carried her scent, and not for the first and certainly not for the last time, his thoughts were solely for a platinum-blond woman who carried the scent of roses wherever she walked.


	5. Victorious

**VICTORIOUS**

_In which Steven Stone loses his title of Hoenn Champion and teaches Cynthia what it truly means to hold that title in the first place._

"I, the Champion, have fallen."

The Hoenn Pokémon League Championship match had left the audience stunned into silence in its wake. One by one, the Champion's powerful Pokémon had fallen to the icy waters of his challenger, Wallace, his best friend since their very first steps together as Trainers. It had been obvious from the very beginning that the former had all the advantages; type, Pokémon, strength- everything had been his.

Yet, it was Wallace who stood victorious, and Steven Stone who had been so easily defeated.

To say Cynthia was mystified would be an understatement.

"Why?"

The single word slipped from her lips the moment they found each other in the roaring crowds. Steven did not answer immediately; instead, he turned his head towards the newly-crowned Hoenn Champion, who now shone with all the power and glory his predecessor once possessed. His expression was not one of anger, or even sadness- but of a certain kind of pride that Cynthia could not fathom.

"It was time for me to step down," Steven spoke at last, as they left Wallace to his place and worked their way out of the crowd, their fingers tightly wound together so they would not lose each other, "And Wallace deserved his place as Champion."

"As did you," Cynthia reminded him, still honestly lost, "And you were- you are- much more powerful than he is. So why? Why would you give up your crown so easily, and to someone weaker than you?"

Steven smiled, as though her confusion amused him, and he replied, with as calm a voice as ever, "What rises must someday fall. Champions are no exception, but the thing about us, Cynthia, what makes us so powerful, is that we are the guardians of the future. We stand not for fame or glory, but for the children of our respective homes who aspire to become like us, who dream every single night of the moment they become Champion, and work hard every single moment of their lives to achieve it. We are their dreams... We are the inspiration to all new generations of Trainers and their Pokémon."

Cynthia listened intently as Steven spoke, so purely and so honestly, and slowly but surely, understanding began to blossom from somewhere deep inside of her.

"...As Champions, we are also the Trainers who rise up, whenever we hear a cry for help, and we are the Trainers who safeguard those too weak to stand on their own. We are the first to stand, and we are the last to fall, because that is one of many burdens we bear as the very best. We put our needs and wants aside for the better of our home and its people... But, Cynthia..."

His voice suddenly became tender and warm, and he grasped her hands in her own. The two were alone, on a buff overlooking the sea, the Pokémon League and its Champion now just mere dots on the horizon. As they faced each other and his bright silver eyes met hers, he spoke once more.

"What makes us so special, what makes a Champion a true Champion, is that when we do lose, when the time comes and we must pass on the torch on to another... We are still the same Champion in loss that we were in victory, because in the end, the title of Champion is just that... A title. The title never defined us, it was we who defined the title... And that is a victory I am proud to have won at last."

Cynthia suddenly burst into quiet laughter, startling Steven.

"W-what?" He questioned in a rush, beginning to turn red in the face, as though he were embarrassed to have revealed so much of himself, "What is it?"

"You," She replied through her chuckles, her dark eyes soft and sincere, "You are an amazing man." Steven's face went an even brighter shade of red while Cynthia continued, gently, "I hope to become half the Champion you were, Steven Stone."

Steven grinned, pride flashing once again in his silver eyes, and then embraced her suddenly. They stood like that for a long time, arm in arm, until the sun began to set and the air around them began to settle for the night.

It was only then that Steven spoke, one more time.

"You already are- and much more besides."


End file.
